Former House Speaker Gordon Fox Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Former Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon D. Fox was sentenced to 3 years in federal prison for stealing $108,000 donated by campaign supporters to pay for personal expenses, accepting a $52,000 bribe to advocate for a liquor license, and failing to account for these illegal sources of income on his tax returns.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi also ordered Fox to serve two years supervised release upon completion of his prison term, and to pay $109,000 in restitution. Fox pleaded guilty on March 3, 2015, to wire fraud, bribery, and filing a false tax return.

Fox has been ordered to self-surrender to begin serving his prison sentence by July 7, 2015. An 18-month federal grand jury investigation led by prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office and the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, and investigators from the FBI, IRS, and Rhode Island State Police, included the execution of court-authorized search warrants at the former speaker’s home and State House office in March of 2014; the issuance of more than 200 subpoenas; the examination of more than 36,000 bank, government, personal, and campaign records belonging to former Speaker Fox; and forensic examinations of numerous computers and other electronic devices.

United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha commented, “It is a great irony that the man in Rhode Island once most responsible for securing the passage of laws somewhere along the way decided he no longer needed to follow them. And the laws former Speaker Fox chose not to follow were not just any laws, but rather laws designed to ensure the integrity of the legal and political process. In short, he violated his oath to the people of Rhode Island. He promised to do their business, not his own. His failure to keep that promise has brought him down today, and deservedly so.

Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin said, “From day one, I pledged the resources of my office, and when the allegations surrounding the acceptance of a bribe by Gordon Fox arose, and it was recognized that the federal statute of limitations for that offense had expired, this office made a commitment to the United States Attorney to proceed with the prosecution of that charge in state court if necessary. The State, working jointly with the United States Attorney, was ready to prosecute the bribery charge had this case not been resolved in Federal Court, and this case now stands as a testament to the commitment of both offices to aggressively prosecute corrupt public officials.”

At the time of his guilty plea, Fox admitted to the Court that from February 2008 until March of 2010, he received a total of $160,000 in bribes and improper payments, including the $52,000 bribe he received to advocate for the liquor license. He used these funds to pay for personal expenses, including mortgage payments, credit card debt, and home improvements.

Fox’s sentencing marks the culmination of an 18-month investigation that involved the execution of search warrants, issuance of subpoenas, and examination of thousands of documents and electronic devices. The case serves as a stark reminder that public officials will be held accountable for their actions, and that the rule of law will be upheld.

The investigation and prosecution of Gordon Fox is a testament to the commitment of law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies to root out corruption and ensure that public officials serve the people, not their own interests.

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